- Dear New Mindset…
So, today is day 2 of the Live Richer Challenge through the Budgetnista!
I’m feeling pretty energized. I’ve shared my financial goals from day 1 with several folks and even found an accountability partner!! (Hey Dom!!). It feels great to feel the culmination of a lot of smaller ideas come together as a mind shift. I’ve been pondering the role of my overall well-being and money for quite some time actually…well, somewhat. Last November, I decided I was going to move to Lisbon in April ’16 for an undefined amount of time, live off of my expected final salary from Angola, and teach English here and there. I’m QUEEN of Here-and-There-landia! I can make all the ways out of no ways. I can juice a budget. I can have something amazing fall into my lap without needing much financial input from me. Or, I could write a grant really quickly with my glorious technical writing skills and before I knew it, there was a direct deposit coming in to attend some conference or just go…here. or there.
This approach worked for me in the context of taking out student loans…*coughs*…so in one way or another I deserved financial magic to compensate for this 21st century debt, right??! And, it’s not like any of the monetary magic could be shifted back to Sallie Mae. These funds were earmarked for things that also required reports and papers to show that I actually put the money to its intended use. Student loans seemed to be its own black-box of, “wow, I wonder how that’s gonna get paid?” with having no intention of actually answering that question.
BUT NOOOOOOWWWW ….at this new level of adulttiiiiiiiiing, I’m all about being much more responsible 🙂
I actually DO wanna answer this question. I actually DO want to expand my capacity. I DO want to hold more space for fulfilling my life. I want to be more of *myself.* This will assist with so many other areas of my life.
The Budgetnista’s suggested reading for today was from “The Richest Man …in…Babylon.” And, I write this like that …with ellipses…with pauses…because the title was a turn off for me. All types of (legitimate) Bob Marley songs popped into my head like Babylon System and Chant Down Babylon. My Sociology hat is on in full swing. I’m hearing all of this (legitimate) resistance…and then this spiral of (fair) thoughts start. But, instead of giving those concerns all of my attention, I decided to approach the passage with curiosity. What can I take? What can I leave? I may discover that nothing’s helpful and every last word right down to a two-lettered preposition is oppressive. Or, I may find some nugget or even something I’d ALREADY thought of! Maybe just maybe, I wouldn’t have to throw the baby out with the bath water.
So, I read the passage.
Yes, some parts were problematic.
Yes, there were non-problematic parts that I could still take some goodness away from.
Yes, there were actually things inside that I considered earlier this week. That made me feel good to see it show up again.
Discernment, in general, but especially in this micro-moment was important.
The moral of the story? Place old and new mindsets in conversation. Where do they meet in the middle? Use multiple lens/ filters as necessary.
Be curious when it comes to change.
-MFM
moon.flower.medicine 